Suspended ethics chief sues Richard Daley

Mayor Richard Daley's ethics chief on Thursday sued Daley for suspending him earlier this month and said he was bracing for the possibility of a nasty fight with City Hall to clear his name.

Daley suspended Anthony Boswell for 30 days without pay after the city inspector general accused Boswell of mishandling a student intern's sexual harassment complaint against a 911 center boss.

Daley said at the time he was following the inspector general's recommendation by disciplining Boswell, executive director of the mayor's Office of Compliance since 2008.

Boswell also sued Inspector General Joseph Ferguson, claiming Ferguson had "blatantly exceeded" his authority in investigating Boswell, whose office has been responsible for promoting ethical conduct in Daley's administration. He wants to be immediately reinstated to his job.

"My goal was to be apolitical and build a program, and now I find myself obviously a part of a retaliatory power grab and very much in the middle of a political firestorm," Boswell said at a news conference Thursday with his lawyer. "This action has damaged my reputation, which I have spent 18 years building in various corporations around the world. . . It's not my goal to start a fight, but it is my goal to preserve my reputation, and that is very important to me."

Daley has been out of town on vacation all week and was unavailable for comment. Ferguson had no immediate comment.

Daley has moved to strip Boswell's office of any responsibility for hiring and giving it to the inspector general as part of an effort to end court oversight of the city's personnel system. The court-appointed hiring monitor has criticized Boswell's performance.

Boswell alleges that Ferguson's investigation was part of a power grab and formed the basis for his suspension. The suit alleges that senior aides to Daley — notably the mayor's top lawyer Mara Georges — used the inspector general's report as a pretext to retaliate against Boswell.

The suit claims that Boswell's office exposed and stopped Georges' attempts to get around court-ordered hiring rules, including promoting her predecessor's daughter to "an elevated position" in the Law Department. He alleges Georges had a hand in lowering the experience needed for promotion from 10 years to eight in order to make the daughter qualified.

Jenny Hoyle, a spokeswoman for the Law Department, said the previous inspector general investigated the matter involving Kathleen Crowe Barakat, the daughter of Daley's former corporation counsel Brian Crowe. That inspector general, David Hoffman, "did not concur with Boswell's allegations," Hoyle said. She said the department did not move ahead with promotions for Barakat and others because of "budget issues."

Barakat, who left the Law Department last year, said she was qualified for the 2008 promotion, and no one had done anything improper. She said Boswell's complaint held up the promotion.

"In short, it's ridiculous," she said. "It's sour grapes here, and Boswell is trying to lash out at anyone he can."

"With all due respect to Mr. Boswell, the whole idea that he believes the (federal monitor, inspector general and top city lawyer) have all joined forces to conspire against him is, quite frankly, a little bit absurd," Orozco said.

The inspector general report said Boswell and his first deputy, Mark Meaney, used poor judgment and showed favoritism toward the 911 center boss by trying to find him another city job and a new intern. Ferguson said the two men's actions were particularly egregious because their duties involve judging the conduct of other city workers

Meaney resigned his post last month and said he was returning to the private sector. Sources said negotiations between Boswell and the city for his exit had broken down recently, prior to the suspension notice.

Boswell's lawyer, Jamie Wareham, said his client was being unfairly targeted.

"Do I believe there are investigators trying to put Tony's fingerprints on Jimmy Hoffa's carcass? I absolutely believe that," Wareham said. "This is Chicago. OK… Do we understand how people in the mayor's office target people and continue to beat them like a drum until they leave town with their tail between their legs and their reputations destroyed? Is this a fact pattern that sounds familiar to any of you?"